The Gleanings e-News
 November 2017


ORGANIC MATTERS
Join or Renew Today

Use the colorful buttons to either join, renew, or donate online today. This is the most sustainable way to give to our mission (vs. paper). You become an active member of our community ~ farmers, gardeners, land care professionals, educators, chefs and consumers committed to growing Connecticut organically.
Your donations and up-to-date membership fuels our work providing organic-themed workshops, advocacy, and events that celebrate local foods, farmers and ecological heroes. 



PLEASE CLICK HERE OR MAIL A CHECK TODAY. Thank you!
 Thank you to New Morn ing Market for generously underwriting the 2017 edition of CT NOFA's Farm & Food Guide 
EAT & SHOP IN THEIR IN STORE IN WOODBURY
~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
 
An Message From The Director

November 1, 2017
Dear Organic Fans:

Autumn has arrived and so has the busy season here at CT NOFA. At this time, you will find us busy with a handful of projects including:
  • The Winter Conference: we are busy collecting a great line-up of speakers, securing sponsors and partners, and much more. Stay tuned for all the details coming out later this month. In the meantime, Save The Date: Saturday, March 10, 2018 for the big event! 

    - To apply to present at the Conference, click here.
    - To be a vendor at the big event, click here.
    -     To send new ideas or give feedback from last year, call me directly or email us: [email protected]
     
  • The Farm & Food Guide: we are just beginning to reach out to all our members to update their listings and to get new artwork from advertisers who generously support our organization. This project will continue through January and then the new guide will be off to print and ready for you - our the members - in March 2018!

    ARE YOU A "FARMER'S PLEDGE" FARM? A mailing is going out next week with paper forms but why wait? Send us your 2018 Paperwork today! Just click here: click here and return the forms by mail or email. Questions? Email us!

    FARM OR BUSINESS IN THE GUIDE? Check out your listing in the PDF online (homepage), type up the changes and then email the updated listing for the guide to: [email protected]
     
  • The NOFA Standards for Organic Land Care, 6th Edition: it is now finished and off to the printers! We are pleased to present this important revision. It is a key resource for those who provide organic land care services to homes, schools, park lands, and offices everywhere. More below.
     
  • The NOFA Organic Land Care Annual Gathering: this is an important event for all the NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care providers. This event has a list of great presentations that will also interest gardeners, designers and all sorts of organic fans 
     
  • Hosting events with agricultural partners like the USDA's NRCS and Northeast Cover Crop Council. See below for two great events in November.
     
  • The Online Holiday Auction for Organics: coming online Nov 17-Dec 3, this a great way to find holiday presents and great deals, while supporting our organization.  We are grateful for all the contributions and it is not too late to add something to the mix! Descriptions of donated items (not the item itself) are needed by Nov. 7th so we can get them online in time. Call the office, email us or click here for a Contribution Form.

Gosh. Makes me dizzy just thinking about it all! That said, it is an honor to work on this organic mission and I am very thankful for the talented organic growers and the smart organic consumers that call Connecticut home.  

 

Without you all, the future would be bleak! So stay well and stay in touch about what is important to you when it comes to growing our access to local, organic goodness. Just drop us a note at [email protected] or call the office anytime! 

Best Regards,

Jeff Cordulack
Executive Director
[email protected]
203-613-8813

All donations are tax-deductible. Please give generously.
CLICK THE ORANGE BUTTON TO DONATE NOW OR THE GREEN BUTTON TO JOIN OR RENEW TODAY. Thank you.
Interested in cover crops?
Then Save These Dates!   

November 8th and 9th, 2017
At Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Farmers, students, researchers, extension educators, government and industry representatives, and other cover crop enthusiasts are invited to the first annual Northeast Cover Crops Council Meeting hosted by Cornell University and the USDA NRCS Big Flats Plant Materials Center on November 8-9, 2017.  
 
Presentations on November 8 will focus on soil health, cover crop practices for no-till, pest management, cover crop mixtures, harvesting cover crops for forage, and more. Participants will also have the opportunity to present their own work in a Poster Reception featuring local and seasonal refreshments and hors d'oeuvres. November 9 will feature a field tour of the cover crop demonstration plots at the USDA-NRCS Big Flats Plant Materials Center in Big Flats, NY. This meeting will be a great opportunity to learn about advances and network with cover crop experts from the Northeast. 
 
Register as soon as possible to ensure your space. Click HERE for more information!
Pesticide Trucks Are On Their Way! ... Get Notified In Advance!
REGISTER NOW (The deadline is each December)
 
The CT Pesticide Pre-notification Registry provides Connecticut residents the opportunity to be notified when their abutting neighbor  s have their property commercially treated with pesticides.  Persons wishing to be placed on the registry must complete and submit the Application for Inclusion on Pesticide Notification Registry. The registry is compiled on an annual basis.  You must submit your form prior to December 31 of the current year to be included on next year's registry.  If you miss this deadline you will be placed on the registry for the following year.  
VOLUNTEERS MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE
Volunteers on the Board of Directors designed this great new logo for the Winter Conference! Join us March 10!
Have some extra time?
Want to create change or simply lend a hand?
 
CT NOFA was founded by volunteers and their collaboration brought about many great changes in Connecticut. Their accomplishments led to the first Organic Certification program in the state, to the now famous Winter Conference which started as potluck gatherings, the development Farmer's Markets, the pesticide ban on school grounds, and so much more! 
 
Your time volunteering could simply be helping in the office or it could lead you to Capital Hill or to be a part of the Board of Directors!  

Currently, CT NOFA is looking for help in the office,  with newsletters, revising website content, moving the website to a new management system, and help running parts of the 2018 winter conference (now known as "OrganiConn"). If you would like to get involved with CT NOFA and create meaningful change with CT NOFA, contact the Executive Director Jeff Cordulack to talk about your interests, skills and the organization's needs. You never know where it will take you! 
 
Jeff Cordulack | [email protected] | 203-613-8813 
CT No-Till & Cover Crop Equipment Exchange Pilot Program
Roller Crimper rolling a rye cover crop in Woodstock, CT.  
In collaboration with CT NOFA and the USDA NRCS, Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development (CT RC&D) is creating a no-till and cover crop equipment exchange pilot program.  
 
The purpose of the project is to introduce no-till equipment to aid the implementation of soil health principles such as organic cover crop and no-till planting on Connecticut farms. The program will foster collaborative education and use of the no-till equipment to crop producers in two geographically diverse areas of Connecticut.
 
Pumpkin Transplanted immediately after rolling in early June.
CT RC&D is currently accepting applications from interested farms who would like to participate in the equipment exchange and be either a Farm Equipment Host or surrounding area Farm Equipment User.  
 
The deadline for applications to CT RC&D Office is Friday, November 17, 2017 by 4pm, electronic submission is preferred, please send to [email protected].  
 
If you need to mail the application please send it to CT RC&D 1066 Saybrook Road, PO Box 70, Haddam, CT 06438. Applications are available at www.CTRCD.org or If you have any questions you can reach the CT RC&D office at 860-345-3977.
  
Project collaborators include CT NOFA, USDA NRCS, Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District, Inc., Eastern Connecticut Conservation District, Inc., Granby Agricultural Commission, Salmon River Watershed Partnership and The Last Green Valley.  

TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS DAY IN WOODSTOCK, CT, CLICK HERE

  Want to maximize you soil's health?  
Then Come Out Nov 27th! 
   
"Healthy Soils = Healthy Food" Seminar
Featuring Bryan O'Hara & Ray Archuleta
November 27, 2017
At the Lebanon Fire Safety Complex
23 Goshen Hill Road, Lebanon, CT 06249
 
8:30: Check-In
9:00 am: WELCOME with Tom Morgart, CT NRCS & Jeanne Davies, CT RC&D
9:15 am:  KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Bryan O'Hara, Tobacco Road Farm
11:00 pm:  SOIL HEALTH SYSTEMS with Ray Archuleta, Soil Health Academy School
12:00 pm:  LUNCH
1:00 - 2:00 pm:  SOIL HEALTH ORGANICS with Ray Archuleta, Soil Health Academy School
2:10-2:45 pm:  HOW TO GET STARTED WITH SOIL HEALTH with Adam Squire, Unbound Glory Homestead
2:45-3:00 pm:  Q & A
 
Cost is $25 per person and includes breakfast & lunch.
To register, contact: Amanda Fargo-Johnson at CT RC&D:  

 
In the News...

Organic Farms Show Greater Potential for Capturing Carbon vs Conventional Farming
A new study from Northeastern University and The Organic Center (TOC), has reached the conclusion: Soils from organic farms had 26 percent more potential for long-term carbon storage than soils from conventional farms, along with 13 percent more soil organic matter (SOM). Click here to read article.

Opinion: Keep Organic in the Soil
Organic farmer Dave Chapman is leading a coalition of soil-first farmers opposing organic certification for crops grown without.  Click here to read the article.
 
 
EARN "AOLCP" Credentials with the
NOFA Accreditation Course in Organic Land Care
February 6-9, 2018  - Unity, ME

The NOFA Organic Land Care Program schedule for 2017 and early 2018 is set! Let all the land care pros and gardening friends you know that these 4-day courses can be a game changer for you and your business. The NOFA Organic Land Care accreditation program will educated and prepare you to offer organic services to your clients.

We provide the tools and resources needed for a successful organic program. Those who pass the test will join the thousands of NOFA trained pros and have an opportunity to join the thousands of ' NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care Professionals (AOLCPs)' working in over 20 states. These professionals people maintain this trusted credential to grow their businesses by tapping into the fast-growing organic land care market. 
 
To learn more about this and other organic land care training opportunities,
call Jeremy or email: [email protected]

~~ Featured Business Members ~~

Common Ground High School 
 
Common Ground's mission is to cultivate habits of healthy living and sustainable environmental practices within a diverse community of children, young people, adults, and families. They do this in three tightly connected efforts: Running a High School, An Urban Farm, and An Environmental Community Center.
 
 
  
 
 It is a place where all members of the community - young and elementar y-aged children, middle and high school students, the general public, and environmental practitioners - can find connections to the local environment, each other, and opportunities for learning and engagement. As a whole, Common Ground is a center for environmental learning and leadership located in New Haven, CT.  Click HERE to visit their website for more info rmation! 
 

Thames Valley Sustainable Connections
TVSC, through partnerships and collaborative projects, will
 enhance the environmental, business, and social climate in Greater New London through  advocacy and promotion of proven programs that foster sustainable, socially equitable, and economically sound policies. The goal is a healthy, vibrant and exciting region with a br ight future. TVSC's focus is on
economic vitality, social equity, and environmental security for our citizens, local businesses, and our naturally occurring and created local resources. 
 
TVSC seeks to ensure that the region will be valued by future generations. It recognizes the leadership role that New London and regional munic ipalities can play in the region by championing the advancement of sustainable (living) economies, environmental, open and public spaces and social agendas (Committing to this vision will enhance New London's distinctive character and create a city that will be an exceptional place in which to live, work, and play.)
 
Contact Information:
165 State Street
Suite #424
New London, CT 06320
 
Telephone: 860-439-0016
Website: https://tvsci.org/

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